LYIPhSAA (lv)
Edited: 09.06.2023
Everything happened so fast that the orange cat didn’t realize what happened. It froze in place for a moment and its round eyes blinked in confusion before it began to scratch the rope on its body with its claws in hindsight. It bit and scratched, but the rope didn’t move. On the contrary, the binds became tighter and tighter, completely immobilizing the orange cat.
Guangxu Zi walked to the orange cat’s side, bent down, and stroked its head: “Stop moving, the more you move, the worse it will be for you.”
The orange cat seemed to understand Guangxu Zi’s words as it raised its head to bite Guangxu Zi’s hand in annoyance. Guangxu Zi wasn’t able to move away quickly and his finger was bitten. He let out a hiss and angrily reprimanded: “You beast, are you still not going to listen?”
The orange cat wasn’t scared at all and meowed at him. Not to be outdone, Guangxu Zi poked the orange cat on the head and reprimanded it once again.
The human and the cat were getting more and more noisy in the open space. Finally, Wen Yi couldn’t stand it anymore as he walked forward with a tight frown: “Taoist Priest, Taoist Priest?”
Guangxu Zi was called back to his senses and turned around: “Yes?”
Wen Yi was silent for a moment and asked: “Is this a demon?”
Guangxu Zi nodded: “Precisely.”
“This……” Wen Yi looked at the orange cat and then back at Guangxu Zi as he tentatively asked, “Are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?”
Guangxu Zi laughed: “Naturally, my formation will not be wrong.”
Wen Yi hesitated: “But……”
Guangxu Zi stood up and stroked his beard in a serious manner: “My demon-catching formation has never made a mistake. Look, when I recited the spell just now, wasn’t this cat quickly lured out by me? Furthermore, this cat is very human-like, have you ever seen such a cat before?”
Wen Yi was dumbfounded by his words and carefully scrutinized the orange cat for a few moment. However, he really didn’t see any difference between this cat and the ordinary domesticated cats.
Wen Yi was completely dumbfounded. The spies he sent heard Ye Zi say himself that he was a demon, there was absolutely no mistake.
Could it be that Ye Zi wasn’t the only demon in the Prince Rui Manor?
Wen Yi thought over and over again and said without giving up: “Then Taoist Priest, do you want to investigate again to see if there are any other demons in the manor?”
He said this not because he doubted Guangxu Zi.
This Taoist Priest Guangxu Zi was a famous demon catcher in the Central Plains with a well-known reputation that even Wen Yi had heard of long ago. This time, he had gone to great lengths to contact this person and invite him to Chang’an City.
Previously, in the Duke of Protection’s residence, it was his father, Wen Shuhou, who had doubts and forced Guangxu Zi to show off his skills. As far as Wen Yi himself was concerned, he had no doubts about Guangxu Zi at all.
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“That won’t be necessary.” Guangxu Zi waved his hand, “I have already carefully explored the entire Prince’s manor, there is only this one demon and nothing else.”
Wen Yi was incredulous: “How is it possible? This is only a stupid cat, this……”
The orange cat looked like it understood that someone had called it stupid and struggled on the ground. It bared its teeth toward Wen Yi and flashed up its claws.
Guangxu Zi laughed: “Little General, you might not know but this demon is a cat demon that has opened up its spiritual consciousness. By absorbing the essence of living people day and night in this Prince’s manor, it was able to be cultivated into a demon. Although its current appearance is still of a cat, after a few more years, it will be able to cultivate into its human form.”
However, as he said this, he was also somewhat puzzled: “But strangely enough, this demon has pure spiritual energy and doesn’t look like it has done evil. By the looks of it, the demon that has been causing havoc in Chang’an City seems to be something else. Little General, don’t worry, I will continue to investigate and until this matter is investigated clearly, this Taoist Priest will not leave.”
Wen Yi was dumbfounded as Guangxu Zi added: “Since this Prince Rui Manor has been cleared, there is no need for us to disturb them any further. The guards can also go back and return to their orders without worry.”
Wen Yi wasn’t willing: “But……”
Guangxu Zi frowned: “What, you don’t believe me?”
“That’s not——”
Guangxu Zi didn’t wait for Wen Yi to finish his sentence as he shook his head and sighed: “I knew it, I knew it, you youngsters are still skeptical about Immortal Laws and Taoism. Come with me, allow me to tell you about it in detail.”
He didn’t care whether Wen Yi agreed or not as he pulled the person along.
While walking, Guangxu Zi turned his head to Ye Zi: “My dear disciple, can you properly look after the demon, please don’t let it escape.”
“Huh?” Ye Zi was stunned and before he could say anything, Guangxu Zi had already pulled Wen Yi out of the courtyard.
His gaze landed on the cat that was tied up in the courtyard and his spine tingled.
Why did it have to be him?!
As the people in the courtyard gradually left, Ye Zi looked at the orange cat that had been enraged and was baring its teeth. With a sullen expression, Ye Zi didn’t have the guts to go find someone to help him.
The place where the orange cat was lying happened to be the only way to leave. Others might not be afraid, but Ye Zi’s traumatic experience of being bullied by the orange cat for the past ten years was so severe that he didn’t dare to approach it even half a step.
Ye Zi and the orange cat were at a standstill in the courtyard. Just as he was thinking about whether or not he should climb over the wall to leave he suddenly heard a familiar voice.
“I was wondering why I didn’t see you at the entrance. Wen Yi and that Taoist Priest have been gone for a long time, why are you still such a coward?” Gu Yan walked into the courtyard and looked at him helplessly.
Ye Zi’s nerves were tense for a long time and suddenly hearing his voice was like a sound from Heaven. As Gu Yan came to his side, he immediately rushed forward and hugged him.
Ye Zi cowered behind Gu Yan with weak knees and complained: “Why did you only show up now?”
Gu Yan stroked his hair and smiled helplessly: “I had to wait for all of them to leave before I could come over.”
Ye Zi asked: “Did they all leave?”
“They left.” Gu Yan said, “That Taoist Priest is really extraordinary, it’s the first time I’ve seen Wen Yi this defeated.”
Ye Zi didn’t care about how Guangxu Zi was as he pointed to the cat in the courtyard with a sullen expression: “What about it?”
Gu Yan already had plans: “I’ll have it sent to the inn first. Later, I will meet with the Taoist Priest personally, so I’ll need your help again.”
Ye Zi nodded: “Okay, just tell me what to do.”
On the other end, Guangxu Zi dragged Wen Yi along as he chattered on about his views on subduing and eliminating demons. As he had traveled all over the world, his speech was out of the ordinary and he was especially good at bluffing.
Because Wen Yi had been under the blazing sun for a few hours, listening to Guangxu Zi’s long speech couldn’t help but make him feel dizzy. Using the excuse that he had to report back to Emperor Jinghe, he quickly left with the guards in a hurried panic.
Guangxu Zi looked at the group of people fleeing and lamented: “Young people nowadays, they are all so impatient.”
He sighed softly and looked back at the Prince Rui Manor entrance. Thinking of the reward he would get for getting rid of the demon, he went to the street to wander without looking back.
Guangxu Zi continued to wander until dusk before being dragged back to the inn by Ye Zi. When Ye Zi found him, the man was drinking in the restaurant, enjoying the songs and dances, and as Ye Zi tried to persuade him to come back, he became upset.
Ye Zi couldn’t understand, how could a seemingly unfathomable and accomplished Taoist Priest be so addicted to pleasure?
Guangxu Zi was slightly drunk and reluctantly followed Ye Zi back to the inn. In the inn’s bedroom, the orange cat was locked in an iron cage and Gu Yan was also present.
Guangxu Zi performed a not-so-standard Taoist salute towards Gu Yan: “Greetings, Prince Rui.”
Gu Yan sat down at the round table and smiled: “There is no need to be polite, please take a seat.”
Ye Zi didn’t follow them in. He stood at the door and said to Gu Yan: “Please be quick about it, I’ll keep a lookout for you guys.”
Ye Zi closed the door to the room and left, Guangxu Zi’s drunken appearance faded and his body sat slightly straighter.
Gu Yan noticed the look on his face: “There is no need to be formal, Taoist Priest. The reason I asked Ye Zi to arrange for us to meet is because I had some questions I wanted to ask.”
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Guangxu Zi smiled uncomfortably: “That’s certainly no problem, feel free to ask.”
Gu Yan didn’t rush to speak and instead reached his hand into the iron cage to stroke the orange cat’s head. The orange cat was very obedient in front of him and took the initiative to rub its head against him, purring comfortably from its throat.
Gu Yan teased the cat for a while before asking: “Is this cat really a demon?”
His first question made it a little difficult for Guangxu Zi to answer. He was silent for a while but Gu Yan was not in a hurry as he leisurely added on: “I have raised this cat for ten years and have formed a deep bond with it. Taoist Priest, you only need to answer me yes or no.”
Guangxu Zi sipped his tea and admitted: “No.”
Gu Yan asked again: “Then please tell me, is there a demon in the Prince’s manor?”
Guangxu Zi, however, shook his head: “No.”
Gu Yan’s brows furrowed gently.
Guangxu Zi shook his head and sighed: “Forget it, I’ll tell you the truth, I’m the one who lied to Little General Wen today.”
Gu Yan asked: “How did you lie to him?”
Guangxu Zi truthfully admitted: “That formation was a lie, catching the demon was also a lie, and treating this cat as a demon was also a lie. I was also forced to do so, if not, how would this matter end today?”
Gu Yan glanced at him without moving: “Taoist Priest should know what I want to ask.”
Guangxu Zi closed his mouth.
He seemed to be a little afraid of Gu Yan. As he was being watched by the other party, he couldn’t help but feel like he was sitting on pins and needles and he didn’t have the carefree appearance he had in front of Ye Zi at all.
The two of them stood in a stalemate for a long time and Guangxu Zi finally lost the battle: “Alright, I’ll tell you everything. I did see through Mr. Ye’s true form, however, I wasn’t lying earlier. He is indeed not a demon.”
Gu Yan’s eyes moved slightly: “Then he……”
“He is an immortal plant.” Guangxu Zi stroked his beard and recalled: “I have seen related records in an ancient book. Legend has it that the immortal plant was originally just a mortal seed. Ten million years ago, it was accidentally brought back to the Divine Realm by an ancient heavenly god who descended to Earth. The heavenly god, believing it was fate, nourished it daily with immortal dew. Because the seed of the immortal plant was blessed by the god, it developed the ability to be invulnerable to all poison and can cure all diseases.”
“……The moment I saw Mr. Ye, I saw his true form, which happened to match the immortal plant mentioned in the ancient books. However, that’s all just rumors and can’t necessarily be believed. Whether or not there really is a Divine Realm in this world is still unknown, Your Majesty doesn’t need to be too concerned, protecting the person in front of you is the right path.”
Gu Yan said: “What Taoist Priest said is very true.”
Guangxu Zi nodded and added, “I heard Mr. Ye say that there was some misunderstanding between Your Majesty and him. Forgive me for speaking frankly, although it is only a legend that the immortal plant from the Divine Realm fell to Earth, being able to meet Your Majesty in the sea of people isn’t easy. I hope Your Majesty will treat him well and not make him sad.”
Gu Yan lowered his gaze: “I will.”
He thought for a moment and then asked: “Since Taoist Priest has cultivated for many years and has seen a lot, I wonder if he has ever heard of someone coming back from the dead and living a new life?”
“No.” Guangxu Zi paused, then laughed softly: “If there really is such a thing, I would like to see it. One lives a life with many regrets, wouldn’t it be nice to have the opportunity to start over and make up for some of the things one didn’t do in the past?”
Gu Yan didn’t reply, Guangxu Zi stroked his beard and sighed: “However, everything has its advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes too much indulgence in regrets about the past will instead lead to a loss of heart and a loss of concern for the other. If there really is such a person, I would hope that he can calm down and think about what he wants most and how to achieve it.”
☽ ⋆ℍalf 𝕄oon 𝕋ranslations⋆ ☾ 
Thank You for the new chapter (◞ꈍ∇ꈍ)◞⋆*♥
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